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The Sky wants to see her children soar, but first they must trust the wings she gave them.
Love, Discretion & Dragons is Book Two in the Outcasts of Nerland Series: a series of interconnected standalone romantasy comedies, featuring pirates, mermaids, dragons, fae, and the goddesses that bring them together.
Read the First 2 Chapters!
Chapter One
May We Keep Her?
Salt-tainted wind whipped Damion Hemlothe’s sandy-colored hair as he disembarked from the ship.
Tymaldia, Krypnaria’s capital, was the last place he should be. He should be in Nerland. Or at the very least, he should have stayed in Brisland. That had been the plan: to hide—just the one day’s ship journey that separated the two countries—and be close enough to Lendan to make it back to him if…when he needed it. But if Damion learned anything from the rebellion’s betrayal, it was that plans fell through.
Damion took his place along the dock in the late afternoon sun to wait for his trunk to be brought up from the belly of the ship. The freeing feeling of normalcy rested on his shoulders as he stood with the commoners. No one here knew that the man standing with them held the title of Duke of Winten.
Here, he was just Damion.
Are the humans in this place accustomed to us? Bane, Damion’s black poison dragon, wriggled beneath Damion’s collar as the dragon’s voice echoed in his mind.
Yes, it should be safe here for us. Damion hoped it would stay that way. He’d thought Brisland would be safe too and had been dead wrong.
Then why do you still hide your claws?
It is hard not to hide them. Damion didn’t bother to force the golden dragon claws in the corner of each eye to surface. His mother taught him to suppress them just as soon as they started coming in when he was four-years-old. After they faked his mother’s death, his father had made sure Damion always had them hidden. Nearly three decades of that, and having his claws showing felt unnatural now.
The humans have poorly affected you. Be a dragon. Bane crawled out from under Damion’s collar and stretched his wings. We should hunt. It will remind you that you are a child of Mother Sky, not the Land.
I need to secure a nest for us first. Damion stepped forward as one of the sailors brought out his trunk. He hefted it easily with his thanks and headed up the wharf.
Damion had been to Tymaldia only once before, a decade ago now. Faking his father’s death had been easier here than in Nerland and had the added benefit that it let his parents be together again. Even the rebellion believed his father dead. If Damion thought himself safe, he would have Bane reach out to his mother’s dragon, Yven. But given the state of things, he determined to lie low until Lendan thought it safe to return to Winten Castle in the port city of Fethwort. Hopefully, the five-day journey wasn’t too far to reach Lendan when things went wrong. Enough had gone wrong for Damion so far that he didn’t trust it would be long before Lendan was in trouble.
And Damion didn’t trust that he’d be safe here for very long either.
The streets opened up at the wharf’s edge, and Damion pushed away the anxiety that twisted in his gut at the dragons and dragon masters intermixed with the populace. Air walkers floated closer to the ground, just above the roofline, while others hovered a foot or two above the heads of the crowd, looking for a place to come back down to the street. Humans, fae, and dwarves ensured the air walkers and dragons alike had to fight for space to land. Damion shouldered his way up the street, wishing the ship had arrived a few hours earlier so the crowd would have been smaller.
Peculiar. Bane climbed into Damion’s hair, avoiding the press of the crowd as strangers pushed against Damion and his trunk.
What is? Damion muscled past another group of people, determined to find a less busy part of the city to stay. He’d never see someone coming for him in this mess.
The hatchling is alone and in distress. Bane’s claws pressed lightly into Damion’s scalp, pulling his head in the direction Bane wanted him to look.
What? Damion looked up, slowing his pace. A little air walker girl, her arms wrapped around her knees, floated near the roofline ahead of them. She appeared to be trying to hide behind the shop’s sign, crying as her head spun frantically in every direction while the crowd walked below and flew above her.
Damion shoved his way over.
This was no place for a child to be alone.
“Do you need help?” He called up to her, but she didn’t hear him. Damion was taller than most humans, as dragon masters tended to be, but he wished for a little more height at the moment so that he could reach the girl.
You are right, the hatchling should not be alone. He sent his thought to Bane. See if you can get her to look down at me.
Bane jumped from Damion’s head and flew in front of the little girl. She paused for a moment in her panic as Bane licked her hand.
“My dragon likes you.” Damion called up to her, and the little girl finally looked down at him. Her hair shimmered gold in the late afternoon light, but it was her eyes, blue as Mother Sky above them, that snared Damion. “Do you need help?”
“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” The little girl sniffed, but giggled as Bane nuzzled her hand.
“That’s good.” Damion moved up against the building to let more people pass him. Each look at this little girl brought images of the children he knew who had lost their parents in the rebellion’s betrayal. He could do nothing for them, especially not here, but he could help her. “Is it all right if I stay here with you? At least until you know where you’re going?”
“I think so.” She held out her hand to Bane, who immediately rested his head in her palm. She let go of her knees to pet his nose, and her body lifted higher into the air. “Mama never said not to sit with strangers.”
“Were you with your mother when you came out here?” Damion scanned the air walkers above them, none of whom looked like a mother trying to find her daughter.
“No.” The little girl looked away. “I flied by myself.”
“Does your mother know you’re missing?” Damion did his best to keep his voice calm and reassuring, even as he guessed the answer. He’d done something very similar as a young boy, and it had scared his parents beyond reason.
“No.” The little girl sniffed.
“And you aren’t sure how to get back home?” Damion again wished it weren’t so late in the day. It would be harder to ask the shop owners around here if they knew the girl or her mother if he was fighting the rush of the crowd trying to do their last-minute errands on their way home, and all the ship passengers seeking lodging for the night.
The girl’s lower lip trembled as she shook her head. Bane moved onto her shoulders and licked her cheek.
May we keep her? Bane’s black eyes locked with Damion’s.
We’re going to help her find her mother. Her horde will need her.
Her horde let her get away. Bane nuzzled the girl’s cheek. We will not.
Damion groaned. He never should have let Bane view Lendan’s deep friendship as adopting him. It didn’t help that Damon called the man his brother. Now Bane thought he could bring anyone he wanted into their chosen family. At least Bane wasn’t trying to collect the girl. Damion usually lost the argument if it involved treasure. He was grateful Bane understood that to bring a being into their horde required both the horde and the being to want it. Collecting items into Bane’s treasure hoard was a different matter altogether. At least it used to be.
She snuck away, probably to play. Her mother doesn’t know she’s missing.
Will her mother look like her? Bane’s tail came up to stroke the girl’s hair.
Damion chuckled. No matter how humans chose to name it, being a dragon master had nothing to do with controlling a dragon. They were far too determined to be controlled. I do not know. We’ll have to find her.
Let us find her. Bane took the bait. Then we can keep both.
We’re not staying here. We have to return to Nerland just as soon as it is safe and they will surely need to stay here. Damion chided, then addressed the girl before Bane could keep arguing with him.
“I know you aren’t supposed to talk to strangers, but could you tell me your name and your mother’s name? Then I can ask the shopkeepers along this road if they know where you live.”
“I’m Raqia.” The little girl nodded. “And Mama’s named Aria. But we don’t go in these shops. Mama says the docks are too full of people.”
Damion grinned. Raqia might not know how to get home, but she did know she wasn’t where she usually spent time with her mother. That was a start.
“It’s nice to meet you, Raqia. I’m Damion, and my dragon’s name is Bane. Which direction did you come from?” Damion picked up his trunk. “We could go that way a bit and see if anything looks familiar.”
“This way.” Raqia stood from her crouched position and floated up the street through the air above him. Bane flew close beside her as they pushed further into Tymaldia. She stopped at the third intersection they came to, and Bane landed in her shoulder.
“Do you remember which way you came from?” Damion called up to her.
“I don’t know.” Her lower lip trembled, and Bane licked her cheek again.
The sun had reached the roofline now, and while Damion didn’t want to give Bane more fodder for collecting Raqia, he didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to get the girl home and still have time to find lodging.
Can you track her scent through the air?
Bane’s lips curled into a toothy grin, and Damion almost took the question back. It was why he hadn’t asked Bane to do it in the first place. Creating that sort of attachment to someone they would leave behind would only make Damion’s life difficult, as if it wasn’t difficult enough already.
Now you are being a dragon. It is faint, but I can taste it. Follow. He took off from Raqia’s shoulders and shot to the right.
“Bane can taste where you came from.” Damion soothed as Raqia reached for his dragon. “Let’s follow him and see if he’s right.”
Raqia bolted after Bane, flying with much more confidence than Damion had seen since he found her. He held back his groan. It was a bad omen that Raqia was developing an attachment to Bane. The sooner they parted ways, the less it would hurt her. And hopefully it would cut down on the complaining that Bane would do for the weeks that followed.
Bane led them down two more streets, the crowd thinning to only a few other people, before Damion breathed out in relief.
“Raqia!” a woman’s voice echoed ahead of them.
“Mama!” Raqia flew ahead of Bane, turning down the next road.
Damion picked up his pace as Bane shot after Raqia, rounding the corner just in time to see Raqia crash into her mother’s arms.
Her mother looks like her. Bane hovered a few yards away from the embracing mother and daughter. He grinned at Damion. Damion was incredibly glad that dragons couldn’t speak to air walkers. The woman was distraught enough without a dragon threatening to have them join his horde.
“Raqia, are you safe now?” Damion called out, keeping his distance, not wanting to startle her mother.
Raqia twisted in her mother’s arms and smiled. “Mama! Look! This is Damion and his dragon, Bane! They bringed me home!”
Damion forced his feet to stay planted as Aria looked down at him. Her shoulder length, golden hair fell in soft waves around her face, and while Raqia’s eyes were the same blue as Mother Sky, her mother’s eyes were an ice-blue, like the glaciers Damion had once seen in the north of Nixheim. And they stood out all the more against the gold of her hair.
She was enchanting.
“How do you have a dragon?” Aria frowned and twisted, putting herself between Raqia and him.
Damion paused for a moment, immensely confused at her question, before remembering that he still hid his claws, and from her height, she wouldn’t notice the faint, thin outlines that remained—something no one in Nerland had ever noticed. Slowly, and somewhat painfully, he pushed his claws to the surface.
“Forgive me. I’ve come from a place where dragons and dragon masters aren’t welcome, and have been concealing my claws. Bane chose me nearly three decades ago.” He took a step forward and held his arm out to Bane, who settled on his forearm. “I’m Damion, and it was our pleasure to see Raqia home safely.” He bowed slightly at the waist.
“I’m Aria Eshel.” She lowered to the street, still holding Raqia close, her caution replaced with gratitude. “And thank you so much! I don’t have much to show my thanks, but I can offer you dinner.”
Damion hesitated. He should tell her no. He should search out an inn before all the rooms were taken. He should…
Let us eat with them. It is not right for one who will join our horde to be indebted to us. Bane climbed up Damion’s arm to perch on his shoulder.
We still need to search out a nest. And you wanted to hunt. Damion picked up his trunk.
“I appreciate your offer, but we’ve only arrived today, and I’ve yet to secure lodging. With the sun setting, I’m afraid that must be our priority.”
“I work at the Vale Inn & Tavern just down the road. We have available rooms, and I can guarantee the meat will be fresh.” Aria countered and Damion’s mouth salivated at the thought of fresh raw meat. “It’s the least I can do. You don’t know what it means to me, bringing Raqia home.”
Unshed tears stood in her eyes, and Damion stamped down the instinctual drive to wipe them away and destroy anything that might harm her. If she was having this effect on him within minutes of meeting her, he should politely turn her down. He didn’t have time to get involved with a woman, and he would not entangle himself with a woman who likely had a husband.
“Please, Damion,” Raqia pleaded, her blue eyes hooking into his heart, just as they had when he found her near the wharf. “If you come, I can show Bane my toy dragons!”
What species is this toy dragon? Bane’s tone conveyed his confusion.
They are not real. A toy is a plaything made for a hatchling. Damion explained as he tried to overcome the desire to say yes to Aria and Raqia.
Bane huffed and flew from Damion’s shoulders to Raqia’s arms. I do not approve of her playing with things made to look like us. She ought to learn and play as a true hatchling.
“Is that a yes?” Aria’s laughter sang in Damion’s ears as she reached down and stroked Bane’s nose with a smile that rivalled the brightness of the stars.
One night would be fine. He’d simply tell her tomorrow that it was time for him to move on, then he’d seek an inn on the other side of the city, or maybe the next city over.
One night wouldn’t hurt.
“Yes.” Damion smiled and offered Aria his arm. “I would be honored to be your guest.”
Chapter Two
Hidden Claws
Aria stared at the dragon master’s outstretched arm. Would it come off as rude if she didn’t take it? Rude was the last thing she wanted to be to this dragon master, but she didn’t know if she was ready to take a man’s arm again.
Bane, the little black dragon patted her arm with his tail, and looked up at her with encouraging eyes.
Best not to upset a dragon.
“Thank you.” She adjusted Raqia in her arms, who snuggled the little black dragon the way other girls cuddled kittens, then took Damion’s arm.
Aria’s stomach flipped as he smiled down at her.
She needed to get a hold of herself.
“Please, lead on. A warm meal and a room sound perfect right now.”
His willingness to let her lead built a fire in her chest, and Aria couldn’t help but return his smile as she started back to the inn.
“Mama.” Raqia shifted in her arms. “Bane could taste where I flyed! Did you know dragons could do that?”
“Yes, dear, that’s why their tongues are forked.” Aria chuckled as Bane stuck his forked tongue out to lick Raqia’s cheek.
“As long as not much time has passed, otherwise the trail is too faint.” Damion shifted his trunk to his other arm. They must look quite the pair, Aria balancing Raqia on her hip and Damion carrying his trunk with one arm while walking with Aria’s arm looped through the other. She’d heard it was polite in other countries for a man to offer a woman his arm as they walked, but she’d never experienced it, and she rather liked it. Damion adjusted the trunk under his other arm until he seemed to have it settled. “We were fortunate you hadn’t been lost for very long.”
“Thank Mother Sky you found her when you did.” Aria swallowed the threatening tears and held Raqia tighter.
“Mama, you’re squishing me.” Raqia squirmed, and Aria reluctantly loosened her grip.
“I’m sorry dear, you can fly if you promise to stay right next to me.” She knew it was the right thing to do, Raqia needed to learn to be independent, but every bone in Aria’s body cried out against it.
“I bet your mother was very scared when she couldn’t find you.” Damion smiled down at Raqia. “Just like you were very scared when you didn’t know how to get back home. It’s only natural that she’d want to hold you close.”
“But you and Bane found me. Everything’s all better now.” Raqia frowned.
“But your mother didn’t have someone who found her and told her it would be all right. Only you did.” Damion turned his smile back to Aria and she immediately looked away as the tears tried to push forward. The cruelty that this dragon master should be so kind and caring with Raqia when the girl’s own father couldn’t bother with giving her the time of day cut like a knife.
Raqia’s frown deepened. She set Bane on her shoulder and pulled close to Aria. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
Aria sniffed against her tears as she took full advantage of Raqia’s hug. “Thank you. And please don’t fly off without me. You’re the most important thing in my life. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mama.” Raqia sniffed into Aria’s neck.
Damion remained quiet while Aria pulled her emotions back in check. When she was sure she wouldn’t give in to the desire to sob uncontrollably, she turned to smile at him.
And nearly tripped when she noticed his claws were hidden again.
“Do you happen to know what’s being served at the inn tonight?” Damion nodded to the dragon on Raqia’s shoulder. “Bane would like to know.”
“We have two other dragon masters and their dragons staying with us.” Aria looked down at Bane to keep from staring at where Damion’s claws should be. “They requested fresh geese this morning. I’m sure there’s plenty for both of you as well.”
Bane screeched, and his lips curved into a chilling smile.
“Does Bane like goose?” Raqia looked up at Damion, and Aria found herself again staring at where Damion’s claws were hidden. A very faint outline of each claw was visible if she squinted, but it was unnoticeable to anyone who didn’t know to look.
“He does.” Damion nodded. “And so do I, but we’re not very fond of it when it’s cooked.”
“You eat it raw?” Raqia gasped and looked down at Bane with wide eyes.
“Just like the big dragons that are staying at the inn too.” Aria reminded Raqia. They’d had this conversation, twice now, but it seemed to boggle Raqia’s mind that dragon masters and their dragons preferred their meat uncooked.
“Raw meat isn’t nearly as bad as you might think.” Damion laughed, and Aria frowned at how his claws had pulled back even further. Her instincts told her something was off, but she didn’t have time to determine what.
They’d arrived at the Vale Inn & Tavern.
“Let me get you settled into a room, and then we can go down to the tavern for dinner.” Aria pushed open the door and led them past the taproom and dining room, up the stairs to the rooms.
“Mama,” Raqia asked as they moved up the stairs. “Can Bane and Damion stay in our room? Then I can play with Bane when you go to work.”
Aria lost her footing and slipped on the stairs.
But she didn’t crash.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her and Raqia up from the ground, and pressing Aria against a solid body behind her.
Aria swallowed, too cowardly to turn and look up at Damion. She was sure it was his dragon reflexes that had allowed him to release her arm and catch her before she fell. It would be nice to have more of that in her life, someone to be there to keep her from hitting the metaphorical ground over and over again.
“Are you all right?” Damion’s voice was so close it rumbled against her skin, and Aria simultaneously wanted to flee to the protection of Mother Sky and curl into Damion’s arms.
She needed to get a hold of her mind before she embarrassed herself further.
“Hmmm.” She took a deep breath, determined to act normal, whatever normal was when a handsome and strong dragon master’s arm wrapped around your waist and saved you from hitting the floor. “Thank you.”
He set her back on the step but didn’t immediately release her from his grip. “Would it help if I carried Raqia?”
“Can I please, Mama?” Raqia struggled to climb out of Aria’s embrace. “I’ll show Damion where our room is.”
Damion’s hand slid over Aria as he finally, or perhaps unfortunately—she still wasn’t sure—released her.
“You’re five-years-old now. We should probably have you walk or fly by yourself.” The last thing Aria needed was Raqia showing Damion the room the owners let them rent for far less than it was worth.
“I don’t mind.” Damion’s soft voice caressed her face, guiding her chin up to look at him as gently as if it had been his own hand. His reassuring smile invited her to trust him.
Aria did her best not to physically recoil.
Damion’s smile fell a fraction, and Aria knew her face had betrayed her. Her gut twisted with guilt. Her ex-husband’s actions weren’t his fault.
Damion turned to Raqia before Aria could try to explain herself. “Have you ever played chase, Raqia?”
“Yes! With Mama!” Raqia stopped fighting to get out of Aria’s arms.
“Bane loves to play chase. Why don’t you start and he’ll give you five heartbeats before trying to catch you. You can lead him up to your room and then your mother can show me where Bane and I will stay tonight.”
“Yes!” She took Bane from her shoulder and handed him to Damion, then took off through the air toward the top floor. Aria’s heartbeat was double the dragon’s, based on how long Bane waited before he flew after her.
“Thank you.” Aria didn’t manage to meet Damion’s eye, wishing she could explain to him how she’d flown too close to the sun and crashed to the Land in a fiery blaze. But he certainly didn’t want to know the details of her failed marriage, let alone the sorry tale that followed it.
“It’s my pleasure.” Damion smiled at her, and again Aria wondered why he hid his claws when he was no longer somewhere that required it. There were dragon masters and their dragons staying at the inn. It made no sense for him to keep hiding them when he was among his own kind again.
“After you.” He gestured up the stairs.
Aria nodded, her feelings still jumbled so much that not speaking was preferable to trying to sort through a response in her head.
The guest rooms were all on the second floor, and Aria opened the door to the room beside the one the dragon master couple was staying in. A bed and a table with two chairs, along with a wardrobe, made up the entire space.
“This will do well, thank you.” Damion set his trunk down near the wardrobe.
“I’ll let you get settled while I grab your key.” Aria tried to hide her blush behind her hair. She should have thought to get him his key on the way up. “Then I’ll show you the way to the rooftop terrace. We have tables up there if you’d like to eat closer to Mother Sky.”
“Thank you.” Damion dug through his trunk, then asked. “You said there were other dragon masters and dragons staying here?”
“Yes.” Aria thought for a moment. “One of the species of fire dragon and a shadow dragon if I recall correctly. Their masters are married.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to dine without them.” He stood from the trunk and handed her a pouch. “I noticed the prices on the board as we came in. This should cover my room tonight and dinner for the four of us.”
“Cover dinner?” Aria stopped as her hand made contact with the pouch. “But dinner is my thanks for helping bring Raqia home.”
“I appreciate that you offered to cover the cost, but where I come from it’s the height of disrespect to you if I allow you to buy mine and Bane’s meal, let alone yours and Raqia’s if I’m joining you.” His hand shifted the pouch more fully into hers, his fingers sliding against her skin.
Aria stared at him for a long moment, both deeply moved and deeply confused. “Why do you want to avoid the other dragon masters?”
Damion straightened and his face shifted, almost as if he’d practiced the placid expression he now wore. “I’ve been on a cramped ship for a week and was hoping to avoid dining with a crowd now that I’m back on Land. I suppose what I should have said was could we not dine with everyone else dining at the inn tonight as well. Is there a quieter dining room we could use?”
Aria let out a long breath. She was reading into things she had no business reading into. If Damion wanted a quiet meal, then as an employee of the Vale Inn & Tavern, she could provide that for him. That was her job.
“There’s a table in the kitchen for the staff to eat at. I don’t know about it being quieter, but there will be less people. I’ll ask the owners if they’re comfortable with having you dine there.”
“Thank you, I appreciate you asking.” Damion’s smile replaced that placid expression he’d donned, and his golden claws became just slightly more visible.
Aria stared, wondering if maybe now he’d stop hiding them. But the claws faded back into the whites of his eyes. It was only then she realized she’d been holding her breath. She resisted the urge to dig into what Damion was hiding. It was none of her business, and he’d likely be here less than a week before moving on to wherever his final destination lay.
“I’ll be right back then.” She nodded and all but fled from the room. Distance. That would clear her head and get her thinking straight.
She flew down the stairs and thankfully found Eidra, one of the Vale’s owners.
“There you are, dear.” Eidra frowned. “Did I miss you and Raqia getting dinner?”
“No.” Aria held out Damion’s pouch. “She’s safe now, but Raqia flew off while I was working today. She wasn’t in our room when I went up to collect her for dinner. A dragon master and his dragon helped get her back. I just got him settled in a room.”
Eidra immediately pushed the pouch out of the way and pulled Aria into a hug. Aria lost her tight grip on her tears. The heart-stopping fear that had gripped her chest since she opened the door to her room and found Raqia missing and the window open finally found its outlet as she cried into the older woman’s arms.
“My girls once ran off without my knowing.” Eidra soothed. “It’s terrifying. No other word for it.”
“Eidra?” Gareth, Eidra’s husband and the other owner of the Vale, stuck his head out of the kitchen door and frowned. “Mother Land’s name! What happened, Aria?”
“Raqia flew off on her own.” Eidra answered for her as Aria wiped her face and nose on her handkerchief. “She’s safe now.”
“Where did you find her?” Gareth joined them in the hallway.
“A few streets over. A dragon master and his dragon found her and helped get her back to me.” Aria let out a long breath as she regained control. “He needed a room so I told him the inn had space and dinner. I offered the staff table for dinner, since he’d like someplace less crowded than the tavern dining room after his time on a ship.” Aria handed Gareth Damion’s coins.
“Of course you can use the staff table.” Gareth took the pouch. “Is his dragon on the roof terrace, or does it fit indoors?”
“He’s actually with Raqia right now; he’s not much bigger than the width of your hand.” Aria smiled at the memory of Raqia cuddling Bane. “Let me grab the key for the dragon master, and I’ll bring everyone down. Is there still goose left, or did the other guests finish everything off?”
“I bought plenty.” Gareth scratched his short white beard. “Do you know how long they’ll be staying? I might need to place another order with the butcher.”
“We can ask when he comes down. I was so focused on Raqia that I didn’t think to ask him.”
“That’s just fine, dear. We can’t get an order to the butcher until tomorrow morning anyway. I’ll get Raqia’s stew cooling for her.” Eidra gave Aria’s arm a comforting squeeze. “We’ll see you all down in the kitchen in a few minutes.”
Aria nodded, as Eidra and Gareth disappeared into the kitchen.
The couple had taken her and Raqia in when everything fell apart; she owed them so much more than she could ever repay. Hopefully this was the only time she’d need to ask to bring a patron into the kitchen. Taking advantage of their kindness couldn’t become a habit. She let out a long breath and hurried for the key to Damion’s room.
With any luck, Damion would move on to his final destination tomorrow. Being around him woke all sorts of emotions in Aria that she’d rather stay dormant for the rest of her life. Jarvia, her ex-husband, had already shown her how bad things could get. She didn’t need to live the fiasco twice. Her heart might think it was worth trying again, but her brain knew better. The part of her that was inexplicably drawn to the dragon master who hid his claws would just have to get used to disappointment. Besides, something was off with Damion; she could feel it in the air around him. And she wasn’t interested in finding out what exactly was off.
Aria found Damion waiting outside his room, the door already closed, that inviting smile back on his face. She did her best to ignore the way it pulled her in as she handed him his key.
“I’ll show you the rooftop terrace and then we can fetch Raqia and Bane and head to dinner. The owners agreed to have you dine with us in the kitchen this evening.” She started for the stairs, not wanting to take his arm again.
Distance was her friend right now.
“Does Raqia often fly off by herself?” Damion followed her to the top floor, and thankfully didn’t offer his arm.
She ignored the part of her that was disappointed.
Aria shook her head and stamped down the emotion that climbed her throat again. “This is the first time.”
Damion hummed but didn’t press the issue. Aria thanked Mother Sky for it. A good mother wouldn’t leave her daughter on her own like this. It didn’t matter that she ran up to check on Raqia every hour, or that Raqia knew she could always come down to the kitchen to play or join Aria while she cleaned rooms. Aria couldn’t be there for her daughter all the time, and that was why she’d flown off; at least that was the thought that had run circles in her brain since Aria found her daughter missing.
The stairs topped out at a door, and Aria pulled it open, motioning Damion up the last five steps that led to the roof terrace. He stepped through the doorway with a slight bow and a smile. Aria did her best to stamp down the flutter in her stomach as she followed him to the roof.
Twilight encroached on the horizon as the sun set, painting Mother Sky in orange, pink, and purple. Aria couldn’t stop her smile. If nothing else, Mother Sky was still the most beautiful thing in all the world.
But no sooner had Aria admired the sunset than Damion turned and started back down the steps. “Thank you. Shall we fetch Raqia and Bane?”
Aria stared speechless for a moment, confused at his hurry to leave the terrace. She gave a polite nod to the dragon master couple and their dragons eating at a table near the railing before descending the steps again. She reminded herself again that Damion’s behavior was none of her business. If anything, it was good for her to be confused by him. It would help her stay away. Most of her problems started because she’d ignored the warning signs that everyone else saw in Jarvia. She needed to remember the lessons she’d learned the hard way.
Besides, Raqia was probably ravenous by this point, and getting her fed and to bed sooner than later would make Aria’s life easier tomorrow. So she led Damion to her room.
When Eidra and Gareth took Aria and Raqia in a year ago, they converted the smallest of the three storage rooms on the top floor of the Vale into a room. Aria knew that at some point Gareth would need the space back; in reality, he needed it back now. And the day he finally admitted it would be when Aria would have to face home, and everyone who’d known better than her.
Aria shook the thought away and pushed open her door, praying that the room was at least mildly tidy.
Raqia and Bane flew near the ceiling, still playing chase. Aria sighed with relief that the room wasn’t a total disaster; at least none of hers or Raqia’s underclothes were strewn about.
“Ready for dinner?” Aria called up to Raqia, attempting to inconspicuously straighten the covers on the bed and kick the few toys on the floor into a pile.
“Ah, do we have to?” Raqia whined. “I’m having fun!”
“Bane’s hungry.” Damion chuckled as Bane landed on his shoulder. “We’ll see if there’s still time to play after dinner.”
“Can we please, Mama?” Raqia floated down to eye level with Aria.
“If you eat your dinner, maybe.”
Raqia spun and flew as fast as she could down to the kitchen. Bane lifted from Damion’s shoulders and shot after her.
“After you.” Damion chuckled as he stepped out of the room and waited for Aria. With a grounding breath, she led him to the kitchen.
He needed to stop being so inconsistent. She knew it wasn’t fair, but Aria often wished people would simply do what she expected. Damion’s care and connection with Bane were plainly evident, but were immediately challenged by how he hid his claws. The contradiction was maddening, no matter how many times Aria told herself not to care. Damion was passing through, like everyone else who stayed at the Vale. Within a few days, she’d never see him again. Her mental energy was better suited elsewhere.
Warmth and the aroma of fresh spices filled the air as they entered the kitchen. Raqia sat at the staff table, eating her stew as fast as she could. Bane stood on the table beside her, watching with what looked very much like an approving smile.
“Slow down,” Aria chided. “You can’t play if you make yourself sick.”
Raqia’s response was lost in her mouthful of food, and the noise of the servers and cooks getting meals out to hungry patrons.
“I’m watching her.” Eidra arrived at the table with a tray of food. “And now that you’re all here, we can eat as well.”
She set the plates of raw goose down on the table, one in front of Bane and the other across from him, but her smile shifted to confusion as she met Damion’s eyes.
Damion cleared his throat, and his golden claws resurfaced in the whites of his eyes.
“That’s an odd trick, didn’t know dragon masters could do that.” Eidra held out her hand, but confusion persisted on her face.
“It was unfortunately a necessity. I recently found myself in a place unfriendly to the children of Mother Sky.” Damion shook her hand and bowed slightly at the waist. “My name is Damion, and this is Bane.”
“Can’t imagine why someone would be against the children of the Sky. I’m Eidra, it’s a pleasure.” She gestured to the plate of raw goose across from Bane. “We bought these fresh from the butcher this morning. Our other dragon patrons and their masters all agreed the meat was excellent.”
“We very much appreciate it.” Damion looked down at the plates, the goose still a dark red, and his grin turned slightly vicious as his claws brightened. It was the first time since he’d turned the corner with Raqia that Aria actually believed that he was a dragon master.
“And we appreciate you helping Raqia.” Gareth came to stand next to Eidra. “I’m Gareth. Eidra and I own and run the Vale Inn & Tavern.”
“It’s no great thing.” Damion shook Gareth’s hand, bowing slightly again. “I’m glad we were there and could help her. Are you joining us?”
“If you don’t mind.” Gareth grinned. “In my younger days, I was a traveller, but now I live vicariously through the stories of patrons such as yourself.”
“What he isn’t telling you is that you’ll be here swapping stories with him until the sun rises tomorrow.” The right side of Eidra’s mouth quirked up ever so slightly, ruining her attempt to seem exasperated by her husband.
“I fear I lack any truly exciting stories. My life is a rather boring one.” Damion took his seat across from Bane with a chuckle. “But I know a few tall tales that might be enough to entertain us through dinner.”
Gareth’s face betrayed his excitement as Eidra retrieved plates of bread and bowls stew for Aria, herself and him. “Every tall tale is based in truth, often more than anyone would comfortably admit.”
Aria collected mugs of medu for all of them before joining the little group at the table, hoping the company of Eidra and Gareth would help her stop fixating on Damion’s inconsistencies. She handed Damion his mug and tried to ignore the buzz that ran through her skin as their fingers brushed again.
She failed miserably, but at least she could say she tried as she sipped the sweet honey drink.
“Well, Damion, what brings you to Tymaldia?” Gareth dipped his bread into his stew.
“Just visiting for a little while.” Damion looked over at Eidra and Aria, not touching his goose. It wasn’t until until both women had taken their first bites of food that he finally picked up his knife and fork.
“Dig in.” Eidra gestured to the food. “The butcher said those geese were processed this week.”
Damion smiled and started to cut a small piece. Aria bit back her chuckle as Bane immediately tore off a chunk of goose half the size of his head and swallowed it whole.
Damion gave Bane a hard look, but the little dragon only shrugged and swallowed another chunk whole. Aria wished dragons could communicate with all of Mother Sky’s children and not just other dragons and dragon masters. She’d likely get better answers from Bane than Damion as to why the dragon master was so full of contradictions.
“The goose is excellent, and Bane agrees.” Damion cut another bite of goose. “Have the two of you owned the Vale for long?”
“I bought it when I met Eidra.” Gareth caught Eidra’s hand before she could bring her fork to her mouth and kissed her wrist. Aria ignored the ache that blossomed in her chest. “I never thought I’d find something better than exploring the world, rarely staying anywhere for more than a week or two, not knowing where I’d eat my next meal. But Eidra opened my eyes to the novelty of owning a bed and a roof.”
“And he’s been stuck with me ever since.” Eidra laughed.
“How do you make someone be stuck with you?” Raqia looked up from her half-finished stew, some dribbling down her chin. Aria immediately grabbed her napkin.
“Who do you want to stay with you?” Eidra chuckled as Raqia fought having her face cleaned.
“Bane!” Raqia pushed free from Aria’s napkin, her face now clean. “I want him to live with me!”
Aria’s face burned as her eyes met Damion’s. She wasn’t sure if it helped or embarrassed her more that his cheeks turned pink.
“It’s an expression, dear.” Aria spun away from Damion’s surprised face. “It doesn’t mean that we actually force people to stay with us.”
“Like how you said Papa made us be places we didn’t want to be, and that’s why we stay here now?” Raqia frowned. “I wouldn’t take Bane to the bad places.”
“We have a saying among dragons, that your horde will grow when Mother Sky knows you’re ready.” Damion saved Aria from having to answer.
“I don’t want treasure.” Raqia rolled her eyes. “I want Bane and you to stay here.”
Bane jumped from his finished plate to Raqia’s shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.
“Dragons have two words that both sound the same but mean different things. We have a treasure hoard, and then our chosen family is also called a horde, but spelled with different letters.” Damion gave Bane a pointed look before turning to Raqia with a smile. “The saying refers to a dragon’s chosen family. Mother Sky will bring new members to your horde when she knows you’re ready for them.”
“So you can trust your Mother Sky.” Eidra patted Raqia’s shoulder. “Your goddess will take care of you.”
“But—”
“We’ll talk more about it later.” Aria cut Raqia off. She was already more embarrassed than she’d been in nearly a year. “Have you traveled to other countries, Damion? Perhaps you’ve been to someplace Gareth has travelled to as well.”
Raqia grumbled for a moment as the conversation shifted away from her wanting Bane to live with her, but once her food was done, she interrupted Gareth going on about a country he visited where forests grew so thick you could barely walk through them.
“Look, Mama! I eated all my food. Please can Bane and me play now?”
“You need to ask Bane and Damion.” Aria sighed and gave Gareth an apologetic smile.
Bane jumped from the table and shot into the air toward the kitchen door. He stopped and looked back expectantly.
“Off you go then.” Damion’s chuckle sounded about as exasperated as Aria felt, which had her questioning what she thought she knew about the relationship between dragons and dragon masters.
“You all keep talking. I’m going to jump into the cleanup.” Eidra swung her legs over the bench.
“Let me do it.” Aria jumped off the bench and started stacking their empty plates. “You’ve helped with the cleanup every night this week. Sit tonight out.”
Before Eidra could argue, Gareth cajoled her to share the story of how she’d once rescued an abandoned wolf pup. Her eyes lit up and she began her tale.
Aria gratefully slipped away with their dishes, then volunteered with the rest of the staff to collect the dishes from the patrons who’d chosen to eat on the roof terrace.
Distance was safety, as she learned the hard way with Jarvia.
Mother Sky willing, Damion and Bane would move on tomorrow. And Raqia would bounce back quickly from the disappointment.
She reached the terrace and quietly approached the dragon master couple as they sat close watching their dragons flying above them.
“Did you enjoy your meal?” Aria stacked their plates on her tray.
“Yes.” The man smiled at her. “Your butcher knows how to pick them.”
“The dragons enjoyed it as well.” The woman laughed.
“I’ll pass that on to the owners. They’ll be pleased to know their butcher came through for them again.” Aria forced herself not to stare as the starlight caught their golden claws, and pushed her thoughts away from how Damion hid his.
A little too forcefully as she nearly knocked everything off her tray.
“Careful.” The woman shot forward, catching the pile before it could topple.
Just like Damion had caught Aria before she could tumble down the stairs.
“Are you all right?” The woman smiled at her as Aria met her golden-clawed eyes.
“Can you hide your claws?” The words escaped Aria’s lips before she could stop them, and she cursed herself for her slip of the tongue. “I’m so sorry. Please forget that I asked that.”
“It’s fine.” The woman assured her, her smile still in place. “I don’t know if I could hide my claws; I’ve never thought to try.”
“Why do you ask?” The man wrapped his arm back around his wife as she returned to his side.
“We had a dragon master rent a room tonight, and I didn’t know he was a dragon master at first because he can make his claws disappear.” Aria shook her head and picked up her laden tray. “I’m sorry. I’m interrupting your evening. I hope you enjoy Mother Sky tonight, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask us.”
She lifted off the ground and flew down the stairs. The kitchen was in the same room as Damion, but at least it meant she wasn’t embarrassing herself in front of multiple patrons.
Aria focused on her work, putting a conscious effort into ignoring Damion as he chatted with Gareth and Eidra, but all too soon the staff finished their work and everyone bid her goodbye to return to their own homes. With a silent prayer to Mother Sky that he’d leave tomorrow, she returned to the table ready to request that Damion collect Bane so that she could put Raqia to bed.
“That settles it then.” Gareth held out his hand and shook Damion’s. “Thank you. I’ve tried to put everything in order, but I don’t understand most of the legal jargon surrounding it, and I would hate for something to make it so our girls don’t get the Vale when we’re gone.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Damion smiled, his claws barely visible in his eyes.
“What’s settled?” Aria put a smile on her face, trying not to let the anxiety gripping her chest show on her face.
“Damion’s going to stay here for a little while and help ensure we have our estate in order.” Eidra stood with a happy sigh. “I’ll visit both girls tomorrow and let them know we have a professional taking care of it now. They’ll be relieved.”
Aria stared between the three of them.
What in Mother Sky’s name was she going to do now?